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Topic: [KSM] To Switch a Pirate (Read 14796 times)

Conduit Phara stood in front of the assembled Program, scanning the faces of each and every alien that sat before her. These were all the best of the best when it came to their respective races. Some were excellent with weapons, some were intelligent, some were devout zealots, while others were just very well connected. Whatever the reason, they were sitting in this room, waiting for her to begin the briefing.

“Some of you may have heard of this name,” Phara clicked a button and the wall behind her flickered to life. A large portrait of a Forthi was presented. There didn’t seem to be anything special about this particular individual, except for a massive scar that ran down the right side of his face. The wound started from the top of his skull and stretched down and out of the frame of the photograph, suggesting that it continued down a good portion of the upper body. This wasn’t really saying much, though, as the Forthi were smaller creatures.

“He goes by the name of Sigma Suul, and pirating is his profession of choice,” Phara continued as the group stared at the hardened face of their new foe. “The reason that you’ve been called here, is that Suul recently attacked a Source ship that was travelling between Octanus I and Reeva IV.” Phara clicked another button, and the picture behind her changed to show these two solar systems and the highlighted planets.

“Our ship was following protocol, although it was on high alert, as the areas surrounding Reeva IV are known for pirate activity. The standard distress signal was reported shortly after leaving warp, as the Source ship had to exit early due to the asteroid field that sits relatively close to Reeva IV. This is also the reason for increased pirate activity, as the asteroid field gives them somewhere to hide. Not much information was gleaned from this distress signal, except that it was sent one hour and thirty two minutes after exiting warp and that three pirate ships were spotted. The identity and actual number of these ships are unknown, since that information was not broadcast, although we are assuming that they were all frigates. These are the ships that are known to be under the command of Sigma Suul.

“Now we know that these ships were under the command of Sigma Suul, since the crew members of the abducted Source ship were released planet side several days later. Alongside this, we have a number of sources in the pirate community. All but Suul claimed no involvement in this attack on the Source. It seems that many people realize the power of the Source, and understand that we are not to be trifled with.” Phara smiled as she said these words, as did most of the people in the room. It was no secret that the Source was nearly everywhere in the civilized galaxy. Several different governments officially sanctioned the religious organization, and the number of Links within the Source numbered in the billions. This made for a very lucrative collection pool, which made sure that the Source always had capital to ensure its spread.

“Further probing of our contacts in the pirate community turned up where Suul frequents and where he could most likely be found. Using this information, we are sending you out on a search and destroy mission. Sigma Suul himself is to be apprehended and brought in alive. His entire crew is to be eradicated as are his ships and equipment. Suul has strayed and he must be switched. He has lost his way, and it is up to the Source to right his wrongs. Let our brother’s energy be purified.”

As Conduit Phara finished her speech, a small figure stirred in one of the great shadows of the room, created by the light of the wall. As it moved into the light, those present could make out a rather small, almost miniature Daeluush, covered from toe to neck in armor that looked like a charred black, with hundreds of small medallions, trinkets, and chains of various metals strewn across its chest, legs, and shoulders.

As it moved, no one heard it breath or heard its feet stepping on the floor, but the metal adorning it created quite a commotion as metal hit metal and chains rattled. It looked at no one, and carried a helmet just large enough to fit on its head. The armor was obviously powered, and very high-tech, if not the absolute cutting-edge of Daeluush, or perhaps Source, technology. Most within the crowd probably assumed such a small figure needed the strength augmenting effects of the armor to be any use in battle, let alone carry a high-powered weapon. Of its weapons, it carried none, save for a sheathed dagger on its belt.

The Daeluush's brown exoskeleton was painted a base color of black, with intricate red tribal paints that eventually led to a red symbol on its forehead: the Daeluush word for Kingslayer.

At the front of the room, it made an about turn, took the button from Conduit Phara, bowed slightly, and motioned for her to sit down. He paused for a moment, considering the group seated in front of him. An unusual group, for sure, very multiracial, but the Source pays no attention to race, he thought, A blessing and curse, I suppose.

He clicked the button, and the wall changed to show a star map, with a central circle of stars outlined, "This is the Sigma System of Forthi Delegation space, the northernmost, or closest to the core of the galaxy, colonies of the Forthi. Suul is known to operate in this area, and it is here we shall hunt our prey. Suul is not a pirate of incredible power, but his fleet still poses a threat to our frigate. The good pirates are far from easy prey, knowing when and where to hide, when and where to run, and when and where to fight.

"I do not expect this hunt to be the easiest, nor do I expect it to be the hardest. We must maintain the element of surprise against an enemy who is also trained to maintain this same element. In the best case scenario, we ambush Suul planet- or station-side, easily kill his entourage, capture Suul, and return home with zero casualties. In the worst case, Suul's fleet ambushes our frigate and tears it apart before the crew has time to react, and we all end up frozen corpses drifting through Forthi space.

"But I've been through far worse than whatever Suul can throw at us, and been through situations where almost everyone around me ultimately perished. As your leader, I intend to get this job done as quickly as possible, as quietly as possible, and with as few friendly deaths as possible. I am Dantares the Kingslayer, and I promise to bring Suul and as many of you as possible home, alive, and uninjured. Are there any questions?" Dantares looked around the room.

Krag rose his hand a moment to get the Daeluush's attention."What class of Frigate are we taking, exactly?" He asked. He figured, with the right type of frigate, getting detected might not even bee the issue. He had spent most of this meeting just quietly drumming on the table with his sheathed, deactivated Plasma Claw, able to record every bit of the speech word-for-word and not pay an ounce of attention doing so.He was a rather experienced Krin, his left shoulder adorned with an intricate paulderon instead of the typical covering. Standing 7 feet (2.1336 Meters) tall, some might find his size and bulk intimidating. He guessed, however, that the Daeluush that was their squad leader didn't feel that way. Krag found him rather impressive, despite his small stature.

Dantares looked at Krag for a moment, and then decided the information wasn't too dangerous to give out, "We're flying what the Source calls the 'Trojan' class of frigate. Designed with every stealth measure currently available, it's a heavily modified frigate built by various contractors and races. Technically, Trojans means any frigate repurposed for stealth operation, in Source terms. In space, there will be appear to be hardly any visual, electromagnetic, or heat signature on any known sensors. Our goal for this mission is to take care of Suul as quietly as possible, with the least people possible knowing this operation even occurred, and the frigate has been chosen specifically for this mission. I can't say anything else about the frigate beyond what I've told you, and that it has no name and isn't present on any roster of ships except the Source's list."

Ketser stood and began to speak, his gloved hands moving around the air above his head idly. "I have less of a question and more a proposal. Our original plan of action was killing the target's entourage, but I would propose we capture as many alive as possible so that they get additional opportunities to see the truth. Surely that would be a better task, no?" He sat down once more and pulled his hood back over his face.

Dantares would've raised an eyebrow at Ketser's proposal, but he had none, "Our mission is to switch Suul's people, destroy his ships utterly, and remove almost all traces of him, while acquiring the Forthi himself. We do not have the time or the resources to go around capturing pirates who will likely pretend to change their beliefs at a moment's notice if it means saving their skins. In any case, we need as few witnesses as possible, who know as little as possible. Suul's crew will know too much about us if we capture them. It is far more difficult to keep the mouths of a hundred men shut than a single man in chains. The Source does not want such a burden, and killing these pirates allows them to obtain the clean slate of their next lives, so that they might be more productive members of society and the Universe. Anything else, unless the Seeonsurm would like to debate what we is we've been told to do?"

In one of the far corners of the assembly, a silent yet observant Furen Tze listened to the ongoing briefing. He was perfectly content noting the other more active participants, refraining from stepping up himself after having heard all that he needed from their designated leader.

The revelation that the Kingslayer himself would lead the operation was a pleasant surprise for the Furen Tze, having never collaborated with the exceptionally talented Dantares in all his years in the Source.

An interesting assignment this will be, eh, Zuron Ziel?, he mused while thinking of the mission ahead.

Navor Narri sat at the front of the group, slightly irked at all of the questions. Those that were relevant he had accepted, but when the Seeonsurm had suggested a change in plans, that had annoyed Navor enough that it had actually registered on his face. He knew this because Phara had seen the reaction and closed her eyes in response. But this display of emotion lasted only for a moment. It was very unlike Navor to show his emotions so openly.

Once it looked like everyone had gotten their questions out of the way, Conduit Phara left her seat and stood next to Dantares.

"Now that everything has been cleared up, Dantares is going to lead you to the docking stations to board your ship. I will admit that I do not know much about ships, but I have heard from reliable sources that the ones placed under your control are state of the art." Phara smiled at this. "I wish you the best of luck on your mission, and ask for a moment of contemplation before I depart your company." With that said, everyone in the room did their racial equivalent of staying silent for a short moment. The two Forthi closed their eyes and lowered their heads to the ground.

"Thank you."

When it was over, Phara looked up at the group and smiled before exiting the room. As she exited the screen flickered as it lost power. The last image seen was that of Suul staring out at the Source members, a look of grim determination on his face.

When Phara was done, Dantares motioned for the crew to follow him, "Come on then, let's get to the ship. We're wasting time sitting here, and every second means Suul gets farther away." He strode out of the room, not looking back to see if anyone was following him. If someone was left behind, that was too bad, he didn't need anyone slow on this mission.

They made their way to the Source hangar relatively quickly, with the sleek Trojan frigate coming into view through windows in the walls of the hangar. There appeared to be almost no straight lines, no windows of any kind, and the engines were of an unusual design that was obviously very new. The frigate must've been incredibly expensive, but the Source had its ways and money to obtain such a thing, and more.

Dantares led the group across the extended walkway to the hatch of the frigate, easily gliding past technicians and crew walking back and forth with various tools, boxes, and other assorted objects. Inside, along the main corridor which ran like a central spine from one end of the ship to the other, Dantares stopped and turned around. Once everyone caught up, he began to talk, while pointing to his right, "The bridge and most of the crew quarters are located towards the front of the ship," he then pointed to his left down the corridor, "while most of the engineering and combat decks are located to the center and rear of the ship." Suddenly, his voice grew very grim, "None of you are allowed anywhere you aren't authorized to be. Every door to a different section is locked by keycards and visual scans. Know only what you need to know, and restrain your curiosity. The vast majority of you belong only in your quarters, in the recreation area, or with me so long as I authorize you to accompany me wherever I go. If you are found snooping around somewhere you shouldn't be, you will be punished appropriately."

Dantares eyed them all carefully. He believed there were no traitors among them, but one could never be completely sure, "Now, we shall make our way to the bridge. We have to examine our course, and consider our next actions." He turned on a dime to his right, and walked briskly towards the front of the ship, and the bridge. They passed crew quarters on the way, but it didn't talk long to reach the bridge.

The bridge was contained near the front of the ship, but located far from the outer hull. In order to enter the bridge, the group walked through a number of very thick blast doors, indicating that the bridge was encased in a very solid shell of metal, to those knowledgeable about such things. Inside, dozens of terminals and holographic displays flickered in the dim light of the bridge, which was primarily lit up by a massive display positioned in the center of the bridge, in front of a fair number of chairs, one of which was larger than the others. Dantares took his seat in this chair, and despite his small stature, seemed as confident as ever. The front of the chair soon turned into holographic controls for the main display, and Dantares began manipulating it, zooming out until the Sigma System was shown in relation to the one they currently resided in, "Obviously, we'll make full warp towards the Sigma System, but we have to think about what Suul will do. Chances are, he knows or will soon realize that the Source is coming after him. Are there any thoughts on what he might do first?"

"Run." said Taca Zotle. "Vermin run. which is why we need him surrounded, which is nearly impossible in the void,at least with insufficient numbers. The Flock could block out an entire system with their wings, shred the wretched and grimelings, and cut out the fat for the 17 Wings-" he seemed to catch himself. "...with your blessings, of course."

Taca spoke with the ridiculously furious tone of his kind. always angry, always livid. it was an inescapable part of their minds.

"In fact, I think this is a fine opportunity for the Flock to contribute to the Source directly, if you so wish. each time I have suggested their use, I have been denied. 'disciplinary issues' I have heard (apparently we only have one method of conflict solution that we refuse to deviate from). at your discretion, Dantares."

Dantares couldn't help but smile a bit, inwardly laughing at Taca, "I'm sorry, but you'll have to add another negative to your list. We don't want to call down a fleet on Suul, we want to take care of him quietly, I'm sure you understand. If the Source should ever wish to ride through Forthi lands with their banners held high in conquest, we'll be sure to call your people to our side. You'd probably love a good conquest. Though you are right that he is probably running, or getting ready to." He looked around at the others, looking for more suggestions.

"Sorry to, again, inquire about the ship, but what weaponry is this craft outfitted with? If it has an EMP weapon of some form, we could immobilize his ship and not have to worry about him trying to escape." Krag said, stating the obvious with the latter sentence. He was impressed with this ship; it reminded him of his own race's craft, which were mostly smooth."If there isn't an EMP weapon, I'd suggest slipping in past any escorts, if possible, and boarding. Either way, once we're onboard, I can get to one of the ship's computer hubs and link up, getting the schematics and other things such as engines and weapons, depending on how many ship functions are routed to the ship's computer, which can make our job much simpler." He added.

Dantares began to wonder at what point Krag's curiosity ended, "I am not at liberty to discuss the weapons on this ship. Know simply that they are state of the art, and most ships try to be insulated against EMPs, I would expect Suul's ships to be insulated as well. As for boarding, chances are we're going to have to at some point in order to capture Suul, but slipping past any escorts is a death wish, seeing as how we'd likely be sitting ducks while we board his ship. Learning the different hallways and such would be useful from schematics, but we don't need to know what his engines or weapons are. After all, we're going to be obliterating all of his people and ships eventually."

Dantares rubbed the exoskeleton that formed his chin, "I'll keep your link idea in mind, for when it becomes pertinent to the mission. Maybe at some point you can hack the ship itself, seal off the ship except for our exit path, once we have Suul, and make our escape cleaner. Then we can annihilate his ship. First though, we'd have to disable it, destroy the engines, destroy the weapons. An annoying task to be sure. Perhaps though, a little deception could go a long way with regards to capturing Suul..." Dantares inwardly considered this notion, things to leverage against Suul, bargains to be made, "Anyone else have any particularly bright ideas they'd like to share? Any considerations on the direction he's go in, what he'd do first?"

"I am no expert when it comes to weapons," Navor said, stepping forward from the group and standing next to the, "or military tactics for that matter, but the Source has strictly informed me that this mission is to be conducted in as quiet a manner as possible. I know Dantares has said as much, but I must reiterate that point yet again." Here Navor looked at the crewmembers around him. While he wasn't completely knowledgeable on every race present, he was able to recognize some small ticks that he knew each race. This was very helpful when trying to read what the others were thinking.

"But as for where he's most likely heading, that is more tricky. Seeing as I'm from the Forthi Delegation and both he and I are from the same species, I would say that I know how he thinks." Navor said this somewhat pompously, and no doubt annoyed some of the other people present. Somehow, Navor managed to remain completely oblivious to this and continued talking in much the same vein. "There are many hotspots for illegal activity in the Sigma system, which makes our jobs that much harder. However, I have been studying this case extensively, and it has not been entirely fruitless. There are several planets and stations that Suul frequents. Along with this, higher ups in the Source have informed me that we have many spies positioned throughout the system to alert us if Suul is spotted. If that is the case, we will be notified immediately of his whereabouts. But as of now, we still have several areas to choose from. I'm sure you all would choose a better option than I would."

"And what would these options be, exactly?", a guttural-metallic voice added from somewhere at the back of the group. The source promptly advanced towards the front, stopping just as his Furen Tze form emerged from the rest of the crowd. "I trust sir Navor's familiarity with the case, combined with our leader's firsthand experience, would be enough to narrow the selection down further?", Zuron's frontmost hand motioned towards both Navor and Dantares with a mix of inquisitiveness and courtesy. "Barring any unforeseen third party intervention, we have the distinct advantage of having minds from both sides of the trade working for us."